Chinese domination at World TT continues

World No.1 Zhang Yining was one of five Chinese players to win through to the women’s singles quarter-finals at the World Table Tennis ...

World No.1 Zhang Yining was one of five Chinese players to win through to the women’s singles quarter-finals at the World Table Tennis Championships here today, brushing aside the challenge of Lu Yen-Feng.

Zhang, who took over from Wang Nan at the top of the rankings in January, came through her latest test in four superbly executed sets, dropping just 14 points against the girl from Taiwan in the 18-minute rout.

Two banned for boycott

PARIS: Two table tennis players from Yemen and Saudi Arabia, who refused to take on an Israeli at the World Championships, have been banned for the rest of the year. Hani Al-Hammadi from Yemen and Nabeel Al-Magahwi were suspended after their boycott was the subject of an official protest to the sport’s ruling body, the ITTF, by the Israeli delegation. Gay Elensky, 19, was due to play a men’s singles qualifier on Monday against Al-Hammadi but was handed the match when the Yemeni failed to turn up. On Tuesday, Elensky was down to meet Al-Magahwi but again he was handed victory without having to raise his bat. Yet Al-Hammadi and Al-Magahwi did manage to play each other. In a statement, the ITTF said: ‘‘The Saudi Arabian chose not to meet the jury to give an explanation. The player from Yemen, Al-Hammadi, claimed that he did not show up because he was tired, and because there was a problem with transportation from his hotel. The executive committee chose not to accept any explanations.’’ (Reuters)

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Europe’s admittedly slim hopes of its first woman’s singles gold since 1955 rest with Croatia’s Tamara Boros, who got the better of Romanian Otilia Badescu, after Belarussian Viktoria Pavlovich fell to China’s third seed Niu Jianfeng.

Zhang, the 2002 Asian Games champion who has not lost a set at Bercy all week, meets Japan’s Ai Fukuhara in the semis later today.

The teenage sensation who first started playing at the age of three continues to woo the Paris public, beating Korea’s Lee Eun-Sil 4-2 in her fourth round tie.

Fukuhara’s Angelic Demeanour belies a ruthless will to win as evidenced when she served out the second set with a rare ace.

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Lee took the third and fourth sets but the high school student at the other end of the table, who conceded to feeling a shade nervous before her first championships, won the next 11/6 to send Lee Packing.